Best Friends
by DancesWithSeatbelts
Summary: A series of drabbles. ch 13... college AU: Natsu is hypnotized into only speaking Spanish. You can still confess even if the girl you've loved since grade school won't understand, right? *gift fic for shadoo* ch14 kenopsia prompt from ftfanfics ch15 tumblr inspired drabble - how awkward is it to meet a guy while you're dancing in your underwear?
1. BBF

"Isn't this great?" Natsu stretched and yawned. "Don't you wish you'd agreed sooner?"

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Hmmpphht. Technically I didn't agree, so much as, I lost a bet." She was laying on her back, with her side pressed against Natsu from head to toes. He'd given her the softer pillow and a matching blanket. The pillow he was using was actually just a case, lumpy with bulges and not very full. Happy was currently sleeping on Lucy's feet.

Struggling to pull the cover up higher, she yanked harder and started the hammock swinging again. "Shit!" Lucy gave up on the blanket and muttered "Sorry!" at Happy who grumbled at being kicked. Counting to ten, Lucy inhaled and exhaled several deep breaths. "Natsu? How can you be comfortable in this thing?"

"Weirdo, how can you _not_ be comfortable?" He shifted his weight and started a gentle swinging motion. "Isn't this relaxing?"

"Seriously? Natsu, you've got to be kidding - we're squished together and I can't get my blanket up any higher. Happy is cutting off the circulation to my feet and I think I gotta pee again." Lucy struggled in frustration. "I gotta get up - I need to use the facilities." She shifted her legs out from under the exceed and half fell, half jumped out of the hammock. Rubbing her bruised butt cheek, Lucy stumbled to the bathroom followed by Natsu's laughter.

"Natsu, Lucy is a terrible hammock sleeper," Happy chortled. "Her butt was making the whole hammock sag."

"Shut up you shitty cat!"

Happy flew out of the enraged blonde's reach and perched on one of the rafters.

"Calm down Luce! Jump back in and I'll let you tell me a bedtime story."

"Gee thanks, that's so kind of you." Lucy said a short prayer under her breath asking for deliverance from rude cats and obtuse boys. She threw a leg over and pushed down as she tried to leap into the hammock.

"Dammit! Get off me! You weigh a tonne!" Lucy was flat on her back, covered with a half naked best friend and Natsu's makeshift pillow. "You'll have to help me in first again," Lucy sighed. "I can't even imagine why you'd want to have me sleep-over when my bed is so much larger and comfy."

Natsu rolled off Lucy and jumped to his feet, extending a hand to the blonde. With a rueful grin, she allowed him to pull her to her feet. "Here's your pillow!" Lucy picked it up by the corner, gasping as it spilled it's contents all over the floor. Plain panties, fancy panties, new ones, old ones, assorted varieties - all having one common factor. They were Lucy's panties - panties that had gone missing over the course of their friendship.

"Run Natsu! I don't wanna be an orphan!" Happy shouted, "I'll miss you!"


	2. Laundry Lesson

"Why? Why do I gotta do your laundry?" Natsu whined, "How come you're not making Happy help?"

Lucy stood with her arms crossed over her ample chest, glaring at her best friend. Through tight lips she answered. "It's to teach you a lesson on stealing panties. Happy is a cat and doesn't know any better. I expect more from you!"

"But Luce! It was his idea to play ninja!" He gave her a soulful look, eyes big and his lips slightly down-turned. "He started it! I would never have taken any if he hadn't done it first!"

Natsu yelped as Lucy reached over and pinched his arm. "Keep loading the machine. Don't think I'm gonna let you slack off." She had been so very furious to discover his 'dragon hoard' of her panties. Honestly, she'd begun to think underwear gnomes were walking off with them. Remembering the way they'd spilled out of Natsu's pillowcase was raising her blood pressure again. Lucy closed her eyes and took a few deep calming breaths.

The fire dragon slayer regained his good nature and he grinned happily at Lucy. "How much detergent do I gotta use?"

"A scoop." She tapped one foot and glared at the pink haired boy. "After you finish this load, you will dry it."

"Okay." He measured the soap and dumped it into the washer, closed the lid and turned it on. "Want to play some cards?"

"I'm still mad at you!" The blonde girl scowled into the beaming face of the boy. "You're not going to jolly me out of your punishment!"

"I wouldn't dream of it Luce!" Natsu's smile became brighter as he sensed his friend weakening. "We can play for chores!"

She narrowed her eyes at Natsu, "Chores? Like if I win at cards, you clean my house?"

"Yup! If I win you could do chores for me!" He pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket. "How 'bout we play Dragons Wild Poker?"

"What makes it Dragons Wild?" Lucy was intrigued despite herself. She'd participated in enough card games with Natsu to know he took cards very seriously but she'd never heard of this variant of poker.

"You gotta drink shots to discard, but it's nor really that wild until the end of the game." Natsu nodded and gestured toward the coffee table. "You want I should set up over there?"

Lucy sighed, "All right. We've got about half an hour to kill. Deal us a hand and I'll get a bottle and shot glasses."

"Don't worry! It'll be fun!"

"Yah, I've heard that before!" Lucy returned with the booze and dropped onto the couch. "What else should I know about this game?"

"The forfeits gotta be paid right after the game ends." Natsu explained, "That's what makes it wild!" He shuffled and dealt out five cards each. "We play for points - first person to five wins. Each round is worth a point, the strongest hand winning after two sets of discards."

Lucy gathered them up and sighed noisily. She removed two cards and slid them face-down on the table and grinned weakly. "I could use two good cards, Natsu!"

"Hah! That's two shots for you Luce!" He poured the drinks after passing her two new cards. Natsu perused his own cards and smirked. "Did I mention after each round the winner gets to add a wild rule?"

She downed her shots and gasped, "Fine! I've got lots of ideas for wild rules!" Lucy arched an eyebrow at Natsu and chuckled evilly. "I hope you like scrubbing, because I see lots of that in your future."

Confidently, Natsu discarded one and poured himself a shot. He drew a fresh card and smugly asked Lucy if she needed another exchange.

"No, I'm good."

Natsu consumed his shot and gloated, "I'm good too - I have some pretty ladies in my hand..." He laid out his cards. Three queens and the five of spade and three of clubs.

"Oh, so how do you feel about losing?" Lucy cackled. She spread her cards out to reveal a straight.

"I feel fine, because we're best friends and you'd never abuse the trust I have in you." Natsu gave Lucy his most angelic smile.

"I call bullshit!" Lucy almost choked on her laughter.

Natsu lost his composure and started laughing as well, "It was worth a shot! You got lucky with the first hand, but think careful about the wild rule you add, because it's binding for the both of us."

"Mmmm, well in that case...let's make discards cost two shots for the boys playing the game." Lucy's smile was acidly sweet and her eyes gleamed with mischief.

"You're smart and sneaky, Luce!" Natsu guffawed loudly. "Just wait until I win a hand!"

"Yah, yah. Let me deal this hand." Lucy scooped the cards together and shuffled the cards, rapidly dealing another hand. She glanced at her cards and allowed a disturbing smile to creep across her face.

Natsu watched Lucy with a sinking feeling. "Ah, I want two cards this time." Without a word, she gave him the requested cards and poured four shots and pushed them over to his side of the table. Manfully, he gulped them down, shuddering at the alcohol burn.

"H-how about you? You need to discard?"

"Just one." Lucy poured and exchanged her card.

Beginning to feel the effects of the shots, Natsu felt muzzy. He decided to stand with the cards he had. "I'm fine with what I got, how about you?"

"Actually, I think I'll take one more." Lucy slipped one card onto the discard pile and dealt herself a new one.

Natsu reached over and poured her a shot, pushing it unsteadily across the table so that it sloshed a bit. "Drink up Luce! You don't want to have to penalty drink!"

"You never mentioned that!" She slammed the two shots waiting for her, choking and gasping at the strong taste. "I've got two pair." Lucy flipped her cards up and smirked.

"Oh, how about that, me too!" Natsu chortled, "My two pair happens to beat yours though! We're even at one point each. For my wild dragon rule, every two card is wild."

He pulled the cards over to himself and shuffled. His eyes a little glassy, he dealt the cards and checked what he had.

Lucy could feel the effects of the alcohol making her feel warm and unsteady. "Natsu, can we make this hand the decider? I don't think I can drink much more right now, and you've had more than me anyway."

"You're lucky I'm feeling mangna-mangnamama-nice, Luce! This will decide the winner and the loser!"

"Yah, you're drunk." Lucy giggled, "You tried to say mangnannanamous! Gimme one card!"

"Okay," Natsu poured her discard shot and two for himself. "I'm only exchanging one card too."

Feeling overly warm, Lucy fanned herself with her cards. She dropped them facedown and grabbed her drink, raising it over the table towards Natsu. "To my best friend!" She knocked it back and slammed the empty shot glass down on the coffee table.

Natsu grinned and poured his drinks down his throat, shuddering after from the strong aftertaste. He dealt the additional cards and checked his hand. "I'm good, so good - what you got?"

"I've got luck on my side, how 'bout you, Pinky?" Lucy laughed even harder at the face Natsu pulled at being called 'Pinky'.

"I have awesome cards." He blinked slowly and hiccupped.

"Bwah hahaha!" Lucy slapped her hand on her knee and rocked back and forth. "You ready for the reveal? On the count of three, one...two...three!"

Each mage slapped down their cards.

Each mage stared befuddled at their cards.

Lucy was the first to speak, "The odds of this happening must be astronominomical!"

"Un-be-freaking-lievable!" Natsu slurred.

"It's a tie - now what?" Lucy squinted at Natsu, "You're blurry around the edges."

"Weirdo! Let's draw one card to see who wins. I'll let you shuffle and deal - loser wears a maid costume to clean the other person's house."

"Sounds super!"

"I'm all fired up!"

Lucy shuffled the cards, mixing them for a full minute. Finally she set the deck down and flipped the first card over for Natsu. It was the nine of hearts. He pouted as Lucy smirked at the relatively low valued card. Her grin faded at the nine of clubs she revealed for herself.

"Lemme shuffle and deal another tie breaker." Natsu grabbed the cards and began to carefully shuffle them. He turned over the top card for Lucy and revealed the Jack of spades.

"Oh! Good for me! You're gonna look fine in that short skirt!"

"For shit's sake!" Natsu's card was the Jack of diamonds. "If we tie one more time it's like we both win, right?"

Natsu drew a card from the remaining deck and turned it face up to reveal the king of clubs. "This one's mine, Luce! I'm gonna win!"

"We'll see!" Lucy flipped over the king of spades. Her expression went from disappointment, to disbelief. "What the hell! That's it! A total and complete tie!" She rubbed her eyes with her knuckles and re-checked the cards laying on the table. Yup, another tie.

"Oi! Luce! We're both winners!" Natsu eagerly shouted, "You gotta clean my house wearing the maid outfit!" He blinked owlishly and finished thinking. "You won too, so I have to clean your house wearing the maid outfit..."

"Yah, that makes sense." Lucy giggled louder. "I wanna wear the maid outfit first before you get man stink on it."

"I always knew you liked cosplay!" Natsu thumped the table in his drunken excitement and made the cards jump and a few fly off.

"What? No it doesn't! I just don't want to put on clothes you've worn!"

"You already have!"

"Huh? Like what? When?" Lucy pushed the table back a bit and scattered more of the cards.

"Well, Happy uses your panties for ninja hats! I wore your cheerleader cosplay outfit."

"I don't have one of those." Lucy hiccupped and glared at the pink haired boy.

"Yah, you do. You wore it yesterday - all you need to complete the outfit is some pom-poms!" Natsu smirked and laughed louder and louder as he remembered some of the many times they'd raided Lucy's closets and drawers.

"That's not a cheerleader outfit! That's my favourite blue skirt and matching white shirt. I wondered why the shoulders were stretched! Baka! It took three times through the laundry to feel right again! That reminds me, you've gotta dry the laundry. I bet it's done - get up!" Lucy stumbled off the couch and pulled on Natsu, leading him to the washer. He was steadier on his feet than his partner, but walking in an exaggerated motion - as if trying to pretend sobriety.

"What did you need burned, I mean dried?" Natsu slurred.

He coated his hand in flame and Lucy shrieked, "I changed my mind! You don't have to dry the laundry."

Squinting at Lucy, Natsu pouted. "I gotta learn my lesson 'bout stealing panties. How can I make it up to you if you don't let me?"

"Just do it without magic! Hang'em up on," Lucy dragged a wooden clothes rack out from the space between the wall and washer, "this." She narrowed her eyes and settled her hands on her hips. "You said the forfeits gotta be paid right after the game but I don't feel like running out to your house right now."

Slowly and carefully, Natsu draped the damp clothes on the laundry rack. He shrugged and continued to finish his task. "You sure you don't want me to toast'em dry?" He waggled his fingers in readiness, "It'd take a second."

Lucy playfully swatted his hand, "Nope, I like my house to not burn down around my ears. Let's clean houses tomorrow - "

"I told you the rules say the forfeits gotta be paid out right after the game ends!"

"We can make our own rules! You said the game was Dragons Wild, and after each round the winner could add their own wild rule. We drew three times and tied three times, so that's six rules we never made..." Lucy's brows drew in together as she concentrated. "You would've made your rule first, then I would've countered it... we can either make up three rounds of wild rules or assume I'd cancel out your dumb ideas..."

Natsu stared in complete befuddlement as his blonde partner rambled on and on. "I'm not sure what you're blabbering on about, but okay - we clean houses tomorrow wearing the maid outfit. I get to make one more wild rule and so do you." He grabbed Lucy's hand and dragged her to the living room, letting go he dropped onto the couch. Lightly tugging, he pulled her down to sit beside him. "Ladies first." He grinned and let his arm drape around his partner's shoulders.

Lucy turned to him with suspicion. "Is this a trick?"

"Aw Luce! Why you gotta be like that? Dragon scout promise!"

"Hey! That's not a real thing!" Lucy sputtered, "Now I know you're up to something!"

"Fine! I'll go first - but I need another drink, and so do you." He leaned forward and sloshed two measures into the shot glasses. He placed one in Lucy's unresisting hand and clinked his against it. "Kanpai!" Both mages gulped down their shots. "For my wild rule, I want you to tell me a bedtime story - tonight!"

"You still on that?" Lucy asked incredulously.

"Yah, you won't let me read the stuff you let Levy read. So I wanna have something you wrote for me." Natsu pouted. He should have looked ridiculous with his crossed arms and his stuck out lip. Lucy thought it was kinda nice. _**Huh, he's jealous that Levy gets to read my writing first**_.

She sat silent for a minute until Natsu poked her bicep with a finger.

"You still in there?"

"Okay, I can write you a story - but my wild rule will give me some time to come up with one." Lucy smirked, pleased to have partially countered his demand.

"Well, don't take too long or who knows what'll happen to your clothes next..."

Natsu jumped up and ran around the room as Lucy shrieked and chased him. Both mages were laughing and taunting each other until Happy flew in wearing one of Lucy's bras on his head.

"I'm gonna get you, you shitty cat!"

"He's just a cat and doesn't know any better."

"Don't you dare use my words against me!" Lucy glared at Happy who was perched on top of a cupboard in the kitchen and swivelled to give the same blast of anger towards Natsu who was peering out from behind the bathroom door. Spying the broom in the corner of the room, Lucy dashed across the kitchen and hoisted it, much as like Erza would carry a sword.

"Wah! Lucy's gonna kill us! Run for your life Natsu! I'm leaving!" Happy streaked out of Lucy's apartment at maximum velocity leaving his buddy to face the celestial mage's wrath on his own.

"See you bright and early tomorrow Luce! I'll have your maid outfit cleaned and ready for you - I'll drag you outta bed if you sleep in." Natsu shouted these words through Lucy's front door and then ran home.

"For shit's sake - all I wanted was him to learn a lesson, and now doing laundry has turned into housecleaning." Lucy dropped the broom and stumbled over to the couch and sat down. She frowned fiercely, then considered how silly their evening had been and began laughing uncontrollably_. __**He's an idiot, but my best idiot friend**_**. **


	3. Trains, Thine Nature is Evil

Travelling on a train was pure torture for Natsu Dragneel. The rocking motion, side to side, the clacking of the wheels, the all over body thrumming vibrations from the tracks made his stomach queasy. His mouth would alternately dry up and cause excessive drooling. Even just walking past the train station could send the contents of his stomach into rebellion; the green in his face would clash with the pink of his spiky hair.

It was a much bemoaned fact of his partnership with Lucy Heartfilia that taking missions meant using trains for transportation. Happy was quite vocal with his inability to carry Lucy's fat ass (his words) long distances. Team Natsu had expanded to include Gray and Erza as well for most of their jobs - making taking the train the most efficient means of travel. Natsu called it a soul destroying evil and he was correct.

Erza, being the sweet angel of mercy that she was, had long ago determined the kindest method for allowing Natsu to travel pain free. Well, pain free-ish... On the occasion of their first full group mission, Lucy witnessed Erza punch Natsu unconscious. Being new to the team, new to the guild and generally wet behind the ears, she had been shocked and a bit appalled at Erza's behaviour.

Gray laughed to see Lucy's reaction. "Don't worry! This is better for everyone concerned. You don't know how many times he's puked," he shuddered, "all over everything!"

Lucy folded her hands primly in her lap and tightened her lips in semi-disapproval. Sure, puking is gross, but if a person can't help it...well, even a pre-emptive strike seems too cruel.

The red haired swordswoman caught Lucy's eye and smiled. "I do this to help him rest easy. It hurts me far more than it hurts him, it is a far better thing I do now to prevent him from tossing his cookies."

Happy flew to a corner eating a fish from his backpack. "Yah, Lushi! Listening to Natsu moan really ruins my meal!"

"There's got to be a better way to help him! Has he ever tried hypnotism?" Lucy turned to Gray then Erza as they both shrugged.

"Or a travel patch?"

Each mage stared blankly at Lucy.

"Magic spell? The power of prayer?!" Each suggestion was greeting with silence and indifference.

"Lucy," Erza began gently, "what you need to understand is that punching his lights out serves a two-fold purpose."

"What?! He's nakama! There's no excuse for treating him badly!" Lucy was very indignant on Natsu's behalf.

"First off," Erza continued, her voice continuing it's even tone, "if he's unconscious - he sleeps through his motion sickness. That is a blessing for everyone travelling in this compartment. Secondly," she exchanged a soulful look with Gray. "You have no idea how much vomit he has covered us with over the years. How many times he's caused us to be removed from trains." She shook her head sorrowfully with her eyes downcast.

"I'm clothing impaired as it is Lucy!" Gray broke in, "I only have so many clothes and then that bastard coats me in projectile vomit _every time_ we don't knock him out. It's self preservation and I don't regret it." He sat back down, having risen to his feet in agitation.

"Oh." One word, but many conflicting thoughts ran through the celestial mage's brain. She sat quietly during the rest of the train trip. Shortly before they pulled into the station, Natsu began moaning softly and stirring. Lucy's heartstrings were prodded anew by his sluggish awakening.

"You okay, Natsu?" She knelt down and patted his head. "I'm so sorry you have to go through this!"

He coughed weakly and flopped his head on her lap. "It's not your fault." Lucy stroked his hair a few more times, rewarded with a slight smile on the ill dragon slayer's face.

Unceremoniously, Erza and Gray each took an arm of the pale mage and dragged him off the train. Lucy cursed under her breath as she laboured under the mountain of luggage -watched by a giggling Happy.

"Don't drop Erza's cake box or you'll be chopped into a thousand pieces!"

"Shitty cat!"


	4. Natsu Wields a Mean Feather Duster!

Natsu Dragneel was for all intents and purposes a nice boy. He always had a ready smile for his nakama. He was loud and boisterous, loved to prank and fight. He'd protect his friends to his own detriment. He was innocent, clueless, cunning, strong, ambitious and caring. He had an appetite for food and fire. He was a good sport.

These facts made it all the funnier for his guild mates to see him dressed in a short skirted maid outfit, cleaning Lucy Heartfilia's apartment; or, as she insisted today to be referred to as Mistress Heartfilia.

Gray in particular brayed loudly as he watched Natsu climb a ladder with a feather duster in hand to clean the top of a bookcase. Lucy and Levy exchanged smirks. Lucy looked down and ticked off another chore on her list as Happy flew up to the unsuspecting mage and flipped his skirt to reveal a frilly set of panties. Pretty much the whole roomful of guild mates except Lucy got an eyeful of silk clad dragon slayer butt.

"Fu fu fu!" Happy spiralled out of control and crashed into Lucy's writing desk and spilled stacks of writing paper.

"Oi! Maid! Your mistress needs you to pick up that pile of papers!" Lucy proclaimed grandly, "Immediately!"

"Yes Mistress Heartfilia." Natsu slid down the ladder and dropped to his knees to collect the scattered manuscript pages. The maid costume strained against his broad shoulders and the top gaped quite a bit in the front, being designed for more generous curves than which Natsu possessed. The waist was snug as well, and the short skirt with it's cute frilly white apron was adorable. Perched on his pink hair was an decorative black and white cap, pinned in place - at a rakish angle.

"Lucy, I believe I've seen enough of Flame Freak - any much more and I'll lose my lunch." Gray was actually looking a bit gray around the gills. "How did you get him to agree to wear the panties? No, on second thought...I don't want nightmares." He gave a casual wave to the others of the guild who had been invited to watch Natsu's punishment.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Lucy shrugged and waved Gray off.

After Gray closed the front door behind him, Juvia bounced over to Lucy and smiled hugely. "You can tell Juvia later how to bend men to your will. Juvia has some stalking to do now, see you later!" The water mage scurried out to sneak after her favourite ice mage.

Levy sighed, "I think most of the fun is done Lucy. He's cleaned everything you asked him to and he's been really cool about it. He even served the lemonade without spilling! No tantrums, no destruction, or complaining." The blue haired young woman stood in front of where Lucy was lounging, shifting her weight from side to side. With a pained look on her face, she bent down to whisper at Lucy, "You gotta tell me how you got him into those cute panties!"

Not believing her ears, Lucy shook her head, "Huh? The chores are all done. Oi! Maid! Time to escort the rest of the visitors out of the apartment!" Lucy smiled and waved to the handful of guests, now filing out. Each one had something to say about the panties. Lucy was becoming more incensed with each sly innuendo. Natsu was stationed at the door and bowing respectfully good bye to each guild mate.

Soon, only Mistress Heartfilia, Maid Natsu and Happy were in the apartment. Happy assessed the situation and flew off, uncharacteristically staying silent. Natsu stood quietly, waiting for his mistress to give him orders or give him freedom.

"Hey Natsu, you were a really good sport about this." Lucy grinned at her friend. "No hard feelings?"

"Of course not, Luce!" Natsu grinned back just as easy. "You were just as good a sport when you cleaned my house this morning wearing the maid outfit."

"I have a question for you."

"Okay."

"What possessed you to wear the panties that went with the outfit?"

He scratched his head briefly. "You told me to wear the whole outfit when I got here - you yelled at me for not paying attention before...so I put'em on to make you happy. They were there in the bathroom - with everything else."

Irate, Lucy rolled her eyes, "They were in the hamper. Everything else was piled neatly on top of it. You realize everyone thinks I wanted to see you wearing the panties?"

Natsu scrunched up his face in thought. "Weirdo, of course you did - you made me wear the maid outfit, including the cap. I remember, you said put it all on - what else could you have meant?"

Lucy at this point was past furious and her mood swung back around to ridiculously amused. "Baka!"

Natsu shrugged and laughed, "You wanna play another game of Dragons Wild Poker?"


	5. He Liiiiiiiiikes You!

Happy flew high overhead, watching Natsu and Lucy walk from the guild to her apartment. They walked perfectly in sync with one another, even paces and just a bit closer than an arm's width. Even though he couldn't make out their expressions, Happy knew they were smiling at each other. He knew they would be talking desultorily about other guild members and reliving the current events of tonight.

This was an event in their lives that took place very frequently. Some of the times Happy would be flying just overhead, interjecting comments into the two mage's conversation - most often rudely, or just something rude. Happy was smarter than most people gave him credit for, he was perfectly content with riling up Lucy and then flying away - leaving Natsu to deal with the fall out.

This night, the two mages were staggering drunk. Happy figured he could fly circles around them and they'd be oblivious. Still, he kept his altitude up to keep out of the dragon slayer's radar. He watched Lucy enter her building through the front door and spied Natsu jumping the side of the building to enter the bedroom window as he preferred.

The exceed clapped his paws over his mouth and laughed, "Fu fu fu fu!" He rolled a lazy loop the loop and landed on the roof of the building, wanting to wait a few minutes before moving to his favoured spying location.

Inside, Lucy was still climbing stairs as Natsu drew the covers over his head in bed. The pinkette smiled as he listened to Lucy use her key to gain entrance. She stumbled around her apartment, setting down her celestial keys on her coffee table and dropping her belt nearby. Lucy stripped out of the rest of her clothes in the bathroom and ran the shower water hot. Ten minutes later she dressed in the set of pyjamas left hanging up in the bathroom for just that purpose. Shuffling to the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of water; after gulping it down, she poured another and carried it with her to bed.

In the dark of the room, she couldn't see the lump under the covers that was the lightly dozing Natsu. Happy had already perched on the outside of the window; watching silently, his eyes wide. Placing her water on the night stand, Lucy slipped into bed and drifted off to sleep. As soon as her breathing evened out and deepened, Natsu gravitated over to envelope her in his arms. He indulged himself in a little scent sniffing of her hair and rested his nose in the crook of her neck.

Pleased with his scouting mission, Happy sprouted his wings and flew away, plans dancing in his imagination. Dreams of embarrassing Lucy with taunts of "He liiiiiikes you!" ran through his head.


	6. I Already Have You

"With this story I'm going to read to you, Natsu, you'll have to stop claiming I'm a whelsher. This is my payoff to our game of Dragon's Wild Poker." Lucy gave her partner a stern look. "I _would_ have been done sooner, but a certain dragon slayer wouldn't stop pestering me."

Natsu yawned and stretched, already bundled under the covers of Lucy's amazingly comfortable bed. "I don't know how you can say that, I've been with you constantly, and I never saw anybody else, except for Happy. You're a real weirdo, you know that, Luce?"

She deigned to reply to his comment and shuffled the papers in her hands noisily. After clearing her throat, Lucy began reading from her manuscript:

**Once upon an occasion, there were two friends. One was a dragon; he had many sharp teeth and claws and shiny pink scales. The other friend was a mountain lion who was strong, smart and fierce; his name was Happy. You wouldn't think two such creatures would get along, but they complemented each other's weaknesses and together made a strong team.**

**The dragon liked to brawl. He was very good at fighting. He wasn't the smartest dragon out there, but he was very cunning all the same. The mountain lion preferred to talk his way out of trouble, but he could fight when forced.**

**Pinky the dragon also liked to eat, and eat and eat. The two pals spent a lot of time fishing to keep their bellies full. They started out just using fishing poles, but it was time consuming. Eating each fish as it was caught could barely assuage their hunger. **

**"Man! There's gotta be a better way to catch fish!" Pinky griped, "I'm so hungry my pretty scales are losing their sparkle!"**

**"I'm so hungry, I feel like I'm gonna faint!" Happy cried, "I wish you had a girlfriend who had a magic fridge full of yummy fish!"**

**Pinky snorted, "Let's do something I read about once. Let's make a net to capture fish." After his companion finished laughing, they decided to go into the forest to find the needed supplies.**

**Happy took some of the toughest vines he could find and wove together a fishing net. Pinky, having had the idea, was content with ordering the mountain lion around. After a few hours of struggling, the net was ready. Pinky consented to dive into the lake and scare the fish towards the narrow inlet where Happy was waiting to trap as many yummy fish as he could.**

**With a mighty splash Pinky plummeted into the water and dove under, chasing the fish towards his waiting partner. Hundreds of fish swam furiously towards the mountain lion. With a yowl, Happy swung the net and scooped up a hefty haul of fish. Pinky shot out of the water and flew to the shore, where they had set up a campfire.**

**Happy dragged the full net of fish onto shore and called to Pinky to help get them ready for cooking. "We're gonna eat good tonight!"**

**Pinky used his talons to rip out the fish guts, flinging them into a giant pile. He then held the fish over the crackling flames of the campfire. "We sure are! We have so much we could share with the other creatures of the forest. Bwah hahahaha!"**

**"Yah, we never share! Fu fu fu!"**

**The two friends laughed so hard, their stomachs ached even before they ate themselves sick. Every time thereafter, when Pinky and Happy were hungry they would use a net for fishing.**

Lucy placed the manuscript onto the bedside stand and looked down at the pink haired mage in her bed. "And you call me the weirdo. I hope you enjoyed this story, I actually had more fun writing this than I thought I would."

Natsu clutched Lucy around the waist and pulled her closer. "That was pretty good Luce, but there were a couple of spots where I think you could improve the story and make it more true-to-life."

Incredulous, Lucy pushed back and slapped at Natsu's hands. He pulled them back and then just as casually wrapped them back around her. She sighed, "Really? This is a work of fiction! I'm pretty sure I know what you and Happy are like. This story is for you and about you, so how did I get anything wrong?"

Lucy fumed as Natsu laughed. "Not that! Weirdo! Our team is three; me, you and Happy. We do compliment each other, and we are the strongest team. You left yourself out of the story. Having a magic fridge full of yummy fish?" Natsu yawned and after a pause continued with his critique, "That part, there's no such thing - but I think Happy didn't need to wish for me to have a girlfriend as well with this impossible magic fridge." He yawned again and mumbled in a softer voice, "After all, I already have you."

Laying in bed with Natsu snuggling on her, Lucy was at a loss for words. Gentle snores began emitting from the dragon slayer. Lucy turned off the lamp and tried to relax her body as her mind continued to race. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, again and again until she felt calm and sleepy. Lucy rolled towards her best friend and shoving her doubts into the closet of her mind, laid her head over his chest. Confident in the knowledge he was unconscious and needing to express herself, she whispered, "And I have you," hugging him before drifting into sleep.


	7. Sterling Characteristics

If there was one adjective you could use to describe Natsu Dragneel, it would have to be strong, Lucy decided. He had a crazy amount of raw magical power and special techniques that combined his dragon slayer abilities with a huge list of combat spells. He was undeniably strong to master such things - eating Laxus' lightning and making it his own? Absolutely amazing.

Come to think of it, Natsu was caring. That's another good trait, right? Lucy was sure he cared about his nakama and acquaintances. After all, he'd stormed into the lair of Sabertooth at the Grand Magic Games and called out their master for his treatment of Yukino. That took guts and commitment and showed he was a special person.

Natsu was a promise keeper too, Lucy reflected to herself. She'd never known him to not do something he'd said he would. He tried his hardest and always came through for her and their guild mates. She'd lost track of the times he'd saved her life. Lucy chewed on the end of her pen, musing on a few occasions, she'd repaid the favour.

Smiling to herself, Lucy thought about just how Natsu fought for the things he believed in. He never quit, not on himself or on her. The more she thought about it, the more Lucy realized Natsu was special. There was no one person who embodied so many of the same positive qualities that he possessed. Sure, Natsu had some quirks and foibles - he'd been raised basically in the wild by a dragon no less! He didn't quite get the finer nuances of human inter-personal relationships, he was forever sneaking into her bed - but he _always_ pulled through for nakama.

This is what Lucy was thinking of as she wrote another letter to her mother. She poured out her heart to the woman beyond reach of mortal hands. Lucy penned her missive detailing all the sterling characteristics of her partner. The celestial mage scrawled page after page of accolades to her best friend to the woman who would have treated him as a child of her heart.

Lucy found herself finally slowing down and considered how to end her letter. Biting her lip, she gripped her pen tight and listened to the steady beat of her heart. _**I love being his partner. You would have loved Natsu too, I know that I wrote earlier that he's got issues with human-interpersonal relationships...but as long as I have him, I don't need or want anyone else. Love, Lucy.**_


	8. Baking Brownies

"I can do it by myself Happy!" Natsu rummaged in the lower cupboard, pulling pots and pans out of storage. He stacked them haphazardly right behind him; dove back into the cupboard, hauled out some bake ware and promptly knocked everything over.

Happy was floating in midair. He'd have liked to sit on the counter, or the floor, but 'Mr. I can do it by Myself' had created a legendary clutter and there was not a square inch of clean available. This mess was bigger than when Natsu had exploded the oven, the time he'd taken apart the faucet without turning off the water or the regrettable incident when they'd used double action suds clothes detergent in the dishwasher. The counter was piled with broken eggs, spilled milk, drifts of flour and gritty sugar.

"Natsu! Lucy doesn't keep what you're looking for there!"

"Why didn't you say so?" Natsu turned around to look at his exceed, slapping puffs of flour off the flowered apron he was wearing. "Where's the brownie pan?" He grinned, his good mood unaffected by the kitchen chaos he was surrounded by.

"She leaves it in the oven."

"Thanks Buddy!" The dragon slayer pulled the oven door open and placed the pan on top of the stove. He turned back to the cookbook propped open on the counter. It had butter slathered on the spine of the book and the front cover. There was cocoa dusted on the pages Natsu was reading from, and more bits of flour. Natsu ran a finger down the recipe, mumbling to himself. "Where'd I put the butter? Happy, can you butter the pan? I need to double check and see if I put everything in the batter."

"Aye!" Happy accepted the butter Natsu scraped off the cookbook and rubbed it all over the bottom of the pan. "You gonna turn on the oven?"

"Oh yeah," the slayer grinned foolishly, "Lucy's really drilled it into me not to touch the oven dial, I forgot I'd have to pre-heat it. Thanks Happy!" Natsu reached out and then pulled his hand back. "You know what, I'm gonna have you turn it on, I did promise her not to, after all."

"Fu fu fu! You're scared of her Lucy-kick!" Happy flipped the oven on and hovered over Natsu's shoulder. "Hurry up, I wanna take a bath."

Natsu pouted at Happy, "I'm not scared! Lucy's just weird when she gets into those moods. It's like she turns into another person for a few days out of every month. She's fine and then she wigs out for no good reason!" He waved Happy out of the way. "Just gotta pour it into the pan, and set the timer. In thirty minutes, we'll have the best brownies, ever! Lucy is gonna be so surprised!" Natsu slid the pan into the oven and removed the apron, flinging it on the back of a chair. "Let's go relax in the tub!"

"Aye!"

The two friends ignored the hellish state the kitchen was in and proceeded to enjoy a bubble bath. They took turns creating bubble beards and splashing water. Natsu's sharp hearing detected the oven timer go off at the same time Lucy was putting her key in her door.

"Shit! She's early! Happy, you stall Lucy and I'll get the brownies out of the oven!" Natsu jumped out of the tub and dried himself quickly, pulling on his clothes almost as fast as Gray could strip his off. Happy wrapped himself up in Lucy's 'for company' hand towel and flew to intercept the celestial mage.

"Lushi! I missed you!" Happy yelled boisterously, "I thought you were never coming home again!" He flew into her chest and sobbed piteously.

"I can hear the oven timer go off, what have you and Natsu been up to?" Though her tone was severe, Lucy hugged Happy and petted his head to calm him, setting her grocery bags down. She took a step towards the kitchen, but stopped when the exceed cried even louder. "What's wrong?" She looked down and spied her best hand towel wrapped around the snivelling cat. "What have I told you about using the company towels?"

"I'm company! Wah! You're so mean Lushi!" Happy broke off his performance as Lucy's grip tightened and struggled out of her arms.

Proudly exiting the kitchen, Natsu brandished a plate of lumpy misshapen brownies. "I don't exactly know how these will keep you from killing, but you're welcome." He grinned, set down the plate and looked expectantly at Lucy.

"What the hell are you talking about? Keep me from killing? You using the oven is the catalyst for me killing - I'm gonna murder you for using it! First Happy stinks up my best hand towel, and then you broke your promise!"

Lucy broke off her tirade as Natsu's expression deflated. "Luce! I promised to not turn on the oven, and I didn't!"

"Yeah, you meany! I turned it on for him!" Happy had his head in the market bags Lucy had dropped just inside the apartment. "Did you get me some fish? I have a craving for salmon tonight."

"Yes I got you fish, but they had a special on tuna." Lucy turned around to watch Happy search for the tuna. "Take it and go, me and Natsu are going to have a little talk."

"Aye!" Happy giggled and escaped with his dinner. "I'll miss you Natsu!"

Natsu pouted, "But I made you brownies."

Lucy could feel affection for her partner softening her heart. "Thank you, but why?" She picked one up and smelled it, took a hesitant bite and chewed. "They're pretty good, but I'm confused."

"Mira said this was the time of month when every woman would be willing to kill for chocolate. Now you won't have to."

Locking gazes with the guileless boy, Lucy clenched and with supreme effort relaxed her fist. "Do you mean to tell me you baked PMS brownies?"

"PMS? What's that?" Natsu blinked in confusion.

Face heating up, Lucy blurted, "PMS - that's none of your business!" A minute of deep breathing reined in some of her aggression. Allowing her head to fall forward, Lucy sighed and with an effort calmly said, "Thank you Natsu. Baking brownies for me sure was thoughtful. I'm going to put away my groceries. You want some supper?" Lucy scooped up the market bags and entered the kitchen.

The resulting explosion of fury only proved Natsu's point, that Lucy's mood swings were of legendary strength and duration.


	9. Weird Dreams

Lucy got up at her usual time and started her day with her patented Lucy-process. She had to pry herself from Natsu's embrace and wiggle out from under Happy. Next, she tip-toed to the shower to have her morning wash. Of course as soon as she turned on the faucets, there was the possibility that he'd wake up, but she would be locked _in_ and he'd be locked _out_. Depending on how late and how much he'd drunk the night before, sometimes he'd keep sleeping. Lucy always snuck out of bed as quietly as she could, to preserve her last moments of peace and quiet.

Fifty-fifty. Those were the odds of starting her day chaos free, well, free-ish. After years of partnering with the stubborn, obstinate, and indomitable (oh let's face it - he's several kinds of pig-headed) dragon slayer, Lucy had developed ways to deal with Natsu. She could let him sleep and sneak out of her own apartment, or if the spirits were against her, proceed with her errands - with a certain pink haired barnacle underfoot.

This particular morning, Lucy was able to shower without her best friend pounding on the door, claiming incipient death from burst bladder. The blonde mage was able to style her hair without once needing to scream through the door 'gimme a minute', 'do not pee in the sink' or 'do not eat everything'. Lucy brushed her teeth without any sass from Happy, who liked to ask how many teeth she had left when he heard her brushing.

Such a glorious morning it was, Lucy dressed without either of her two semi-welcome house guests making suspicious noises from her kitchen. No unsettling crashes, tinkles of dropped silverware, smashed glassware or sounds of water fights. To be honest, there had only ever been _one_ water fight in the kitchen. Once was enough - the fury sparking from the celestial mage had made quite the impression on the two idiots, I mean, partners. Both the slayer and blue exceed had become as pale as ghosts, as Lucy had channelled a boss level summoning of an Erza who'd had her strawberry cake dropped.

Lucy crept as quietly as she could back to her bedroom to snatch her celestial keys from their hook, clutching them tight to muffle any clanging that might ensue. She smiled to see Natsu holding Happy much like any child would snuggle with a teddy bear. Well, perhaps more like a hard bodied man-child with his smart-mouthed stooge-sidekick. Muffling her laughter with one hand, she closed the door with the other and snuck away to begin a wonderful and pest-free day.

Deciding to treat herself, she strolled to the corner market and purchased a large cup of strawberry tea and a muffin. She nibbled on her breakfast, a little worried about the mess she'd come home to, but deciding it was well worth it to have a day to herself. Not really thinking about where her feet were taking her, Lucy realized she was close to the library and decided to go in to browse. During her idyll in the library, she found several new books she'd been waiting ages to read. Lucy checked out her selected books and exited the building.

Next on her list was window shopping. Every window she glanced into, held fabulous product and sales. She spent fifteen minutes in front of a jewellery store before being chased away. Lucy was only a little bit embarrassed. She'd been witness to Natsu leering at food too many times to be wholly ashamed of leaving smudges of her face and chest on a window. Besides, the glittery earrings had been super cute.

Giggling she strode past a few more upscale clothing stores and spotted Levy enjoying a cold drink and a book under an umbrella at a cafe. The bluenette waved her over and Lucy spent a relaxing hour discussing existentialism. The research book Levy was poring over was fuel for their discussion of an individual's perception of worth and purpose in their life.

Bidding Levy goodbye, Lucy decided to visit the guild and see if Natsu was there. It wasn't as if she missed him, she'd been a grown up for a long time now, and she didn't _need_ to be in contact with him 24-7. It was just kinda nice to be able to touch base and hang out. Yah, hang out and just be with him. There's nothing wrong or shady with wanting to be with your best friend. Even if every day his body was looking sexier and sexier. When every day his muscles looked bigger and invited your touch - A touch of fingers and hot needy tongue.

Inside the guild Lucy didn't see her favourite pink haired dragon slayer. She saw Gray sitting at the bar with Juvia watching him from behind a pillar. Elfman was bellowing about manliness, making sure to thrust out his chest and throw back his shoulders, trying to provide Evergreen a tantalizing view of his assets. Bickslow had doffed his helmet and was slouching up against the bar next to Gray, chatting up Lisanna. Many of the other regulars were at their usual tables, downing pitchers of beer and gossiping.

Lucy smiled at Cana tipping back gulps of beer from a giant barrel, shuddered at Max rubbing the handle of his broom (he also had a bit of a creepy smile going on), and tried very hard to keep a blank disinterested face as she noticed Freed give Laxus a neck massage. Jumping on a stool in front of where Mirajane was polishing the bar, the blonde began to speak. "I'd like -"

Holding up her hand, the bar maid gave Lucy a sugary sweet smile. "You'd like a strawberry milkshake and the lunch special."

"Am I that predictable?" Her eyebrows scrunched up and then Lucy relaxed, "Well, it's really good - why wouldn't I want what I like the best?"

Holding her hand over her smirk, Mira replied. "That is so true on so many levels. Your order will be ready in a jiffy." Ignoring the puzzled look from the blonde, Mira shouted the food order into the kitchen and started putting together the milkshake, muttering aloud her desires to become a godmother.

"What do you like the best?" Natsu had arrived much quieter than usual and more sombre looking.

"My regular food order." Lucy explained, "You have your own preferences too, you usually have the fire chicken."

Placing the drink in front of Lucy, Mira put her elbow on the counter and propped her chin in her hand. "I was taking more of a philosophical bend on the idea of wanting what a person likes the best. Not just what, but also 'who'. Owning up to your desires can be rewarding to others." Her eyes widened and her lips trembled, "Own up to who you want and I get to be a godmother!"

Immediately from behind the pillar, Juvia shouted, "Juvia wants Gray-sama!"

Lucy flinched and whipped her head around to took at Gray. He calmly kept pouring alcohol down his throat. Lisanna and Bickslow also ignored Juvia's outburst, seeing as they were extremely intent on flirting and possibly working on granting Mira's long-held dream.

"Weirdo! Mira is talking about every individual having control of their search for personal happiness. It's up to each person to find what gives them joy - you can't expect someone else to give you the answer." Natsu delivered this dissertation standing so close to Lucy that she could easily feel his heat rising off his body and his unique slayer scent.

Dumbfounded, Lucy was unable to force any words out of her mouth. Her mind scrambled furiously and came up with nothing. Hoping she didn't look too stupid, she settled for a noncommittal shrug.

Natsu clasped Lucy by the shoulders. His hands were wonderfully warm and Lucy let out a startled gasp as his thumbs idly stroked her smooth skin. "W-what are you doing?"

Mira slid a small velvet flocked box onto the bar in front of Lucy. "Order up! Open it! I want to be godmother to your babies!"

The blonde was beginning to panic, "Let go of me Natsu!"

"You don't want that Lucy. You want what you like the best. You want to admit your feelings for me. Right now, you're thinking 'how can Natsu give me my answer - I have to find what gives me joy for myself'. You're such a weirdo, since when do I discuss existentialism?" His grip on her shoulders grew stronger and she felt suddenly hot and sweaty.

"Wake up!" Natsu grinned at his best friend and continued to shake her by the shoulders. "Feed me! I'm hungry!"

Lucy growled and slapped Natsu's hands away. "What the hell are you doing?"

He rolled his eyes at Lucy, "Did you suffer brain damage in your dream? I'm waking you up!" Natsu hopped out of bed and ran to the bathroom, cackling at having beat the blonde to use the facilities.

Deeply shaken by her dream, Lucy stumbled to the bathroom door and slumped against it. "Hey - Natsu?"

"I'm busy Lucy!"

The sound of a flush and then the sink running water interrupted Lucy's thoughts. "Um, what would you say if I asked you about existentialism?"

The blonde mage almost fell onto Natsu as he pulled open the door. She stumbled and was steadied by his quick reflexes. Lucy repeated her question and Natsu looked blankly into her eyes. "Exit system? Looks like I woke you up too early."

Lucy sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Yah, I woke up too early. I don't know why, but I had the weirdest dream."

Happy flew into the room, "Lushi! You have weird dreams because you're weird!"

Oddly enough, Happy sassing Lucy made her feel better. She started her day making breakfast for her two favourite mages. Lucy hummed as she worked at the stove and the exceed and slayer squabbled at the kitchen table. She realized she was pleased; Lucy admitted to herself that spending time with Natsu _**was**_ what she liked the best.


	10. A Dragon's Nest

"Natsu!" Happy shouted at his partner, "What are you doing?"

The dragon slayer was kneeling in his living room, moving piles of refuse around. Natsu grabbed and threw a dirty pair of pants into the corner. "I'm looking for the loose floorboard. I know it's around here somewhere..." Natsu looked up at the flying cat and grinned. "Help me and I'll get you a fish."

Vanishing his wings, Happy dove down and landed beside his friend. "A big fish?"

"Sure!"

Together, the boy and cat shovelled the detritus of only a month out of the way. Normally there would be more filth and debris scattered around his house, but Lucy had snuck into his home and cleaned it up. As sparkling neat as she had left it, it had only taken a week of his slovenliness to bring back the look of unnatural disaster meets hoarder to his abode; albeit a lighter than usual coating.

The blue exceed kicked a crumpled bag and with his next step found the squeaky floorboard. "Can I have my fish now?" Happy jumped up and down excitedly, clapping his paws.

Natsu laughed as the board popped loose and Happy fell into the pile of assorted treasure that had been hiding under the board. Cheap trinkets clacked together and slid with packets of jewel notes, all neatly tied in rubber bands. Shiny pebbles and giant faux gems littered the bottom of the hoard. Quickly, Natsu withdrew the money and counted it, stacking it into a pyramid.

"Wah! That looks like enough for a dozen barrels of fish!" His eyes sparkled and twinkled, a long string of drool escaped Happy's mouth as he rubbed his belly in anticipation. "You've been holding out on me!"

"I've been saving up for a long time. At first, I didn't even have a plan for my hoard. Igneel explained I would gradually need to gather precious things together; and it's only lately that I understood what I wanted." Beaming his wide smile at Happy, Natsu sat cross-legged behind the stack of cash. "I need to expand my nest."

"Natsu, you know you're not a bird, right?" The exceed peered further into the hole. "And you have pebbles and enormous fake jewels in there, lots of shiny junk. Why?"

Blushing, Natsu ran the fingers of one hand through his messy hair. "Mostly 'cause I like the way they reflect light."

"That's what magpies do! Lucy's weirdness _**is**_ contagious!"

"Nuh-uh, I wanna fix up our house and add a few rooms. We're gonna want a larger kitchen, a few more bedrooms, another bathroom and a library with space for an office."

Tilting his head, Happy sat down with a 'thump' as his rump made contact with the floor. "Why?"

"Dragons build their nest to appeal to their mate." Natsu smiled at his exceed, "There's no way Lucy will be able to resist living rent free!"

Happy opened his mouth, paused and considered his words. His jaw clicked shut and then he shrugged. "You liiiiiiiiiiiiiike her!"

Natsu laughed and patted Happy's head. "Duh!"


	11. One Mud Puddle

If there was one thing Lucy could pride herself on, it was how immaculate she kept her apartment. Well, there were actually many things she prided herself on, mostly because she had many wonderful skills. Right now though, her apartment had been sullied and she was beginning to seethe with enough anger to rival the output of a thousand suns.

"Get your muddy paws off my couch!" Lucy hissed these words from between clenched teeth and scowled. She stood with hands on hips and tapped her foot. The object of her anger cowered and whined, not fully understanding why the blonde was so angry. The pathetic creature whined again.

The leash trailing behind became trapped as the filthy animal cowered further from the enraged girl. Suddenly filled with remorse, Lucy sighed and relaxed her stance. "I'm sorry, it's okay. I won't hurt you! If you hadn't pushed me aside, it would be me wearing a fur coat." She slowly lowered herself until she was settled on her haunches and patted the cushion closest to her. "C'mere. I have a treat for you..."

The pitiable creature that had been huddling on the couch straightened and his tongue came lolling out of his mouth. Unable to bear a grudge as a human or while under a body altering spell, Natsu the dog wriggled his whole body in joy.

"Lucy is gonna give you a," the blonde paused and reconsidered using the word, deciding to spell it instead. "B, A, T, H. You're gonna love it!" She grasped the leash again and gave a wide smile that narrowed into a devious smirk as she stood up and pivoted around. Each step towards the bathroom revealed one more spatter of mud she hadn't noticed before, dragging down the corners of her mouth.

The unsuspecting dog form of Natsu padded happily at her side, leaning against the mage's legs. He grinned even more as Lucy reached down and absent-mindedly scratched behind his ears. Lucy hid her grimace of distaste as her fingers came away coated in grit. "You want that treat? You do?"

Keeping up her casual act, Lucy herded her charge into the bathroom and gently closed the door. Humming gently she plugged the tub and started the water flowing. Natsu sniffed each corner of the room, checking for the promised elusive treat. Rummaging in her collection of shampoos and soaps; Lucy selected the sweetest scents she could find and giggled, pouring in a generous amount to the bath. She tested the water, swishing her hand to help create more bubbles.

Before he had a chance to realize what was happening, Lucy scooped up the enchanted Natsu and placed him into the water. One fierce glare from the celestial wizard as she unfastened the collar had dog-Natsu sitting meekly. Still humming, Lucy set about washing mud from her partner. She lathered Natsu and rinsed until the pink fur he was covered with gleamed. Carefully she pulled the plug and ran more water to sluice any remaining soap away.

"Feel better?" Shaking her head, Lucy muttered a little louder, "One mud puddle...and you _had_ to find it. I turned my back for one minute to collect the collar and leash and you shot off like a rocket." Picking up a towel, Lucy began to rub her partner dry, or at least, less wet. Natsu closed his eyes and submitted to the rough treatment. "I'm going to clean everything else up, and then I'll feed you. You gonna be a good boy?"

Lucy sniffed the towel and grimaced. She wrinkled her nose and dropped it into the hamper. "Plue never stinks up my towels like this after a bath, why are you so special Natsu?"

"I just am."

Lucy had already been turning back to pick dog-Natsu out of the tub as she got rid of the used towel. She felt as though her soul was departing her body, her jaw dropped and her knees wobbled. Turning a whiter shade of pale, the celestial mage stood gaping until she regained the presence of mind to slap her hands over her eyes even as she slammed her eyelids shut. To say she was freaked out would be an understatement. Her whole body shook as Lucy turned around and groped blindly for the door. "I'm just going to drink a whole bottle of sake so I can forget everything I just saw."

"That's kinda hurtful, Luce." Unconcerned, Natsu stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around his lean hips.

Lucy's hand scrabbled and found the doorjamb. "I didn't see anything, nothing. I wouldn't look at you like that. I respect and value you as a co-worker." Each statement was more frenzied and she continued babbling even after she escaped the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind herself.

From inside the small room, Natsu could hear Lucy's flustered flow of words speed up and then trail off. He grinned, a wide fang baring smile. "I'm gonna be a _very_ good boy."

**A/N: Oh, yes it's been a while since I added to this collection. This was inspired by a doodle by the very talented Shadoouge, of Lucy washing Puppy Natsu. **


	12. Complete

**_A/N: Dear readers, I haven't abandoned this drabble series, just needed some time. A slightly V-Day feeling drabble (for hopefully your reading pleasure)._**

* * *

"C'mon Lucy. Don't leave me hanging." Natsu tilted his head slightly. "C'mere. You know you want to."

The blonde popped another grape into her mouth and pointed to her mouth, unwilling to speak as she chewed. Natsu scooted over to his best friend and took hold of her hand, making Lucy's eyes widen.

"If you don't wanna talk, then fine. I'll talk and you get to listen. You're my best friend and it took a silly misunderstanding for me to realize how I feel about you. I wanna say how happy I feel when I'm with you." Natsu could feel the tips of his ears burning but he continued on. He met the questioning look in Lucy's eyes with resolve and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze.

"Not just the happiness of friendship, I feel -" His words petered off as Lucy reached out to touch his lips with hers. She placed her hand over his heart and firmly pushed him onto his back, keeping their kiss going. Lucy gently withdrew her fingers from Natsu and captured his face between her hands and deepened the kiss.

She licked the seam of his lips, moaning as he began to passionately respond. Lucy was pouring everything she felt into this kiss. Her mind felt muzzy as Natsu moaned. Lucy was sprawled on top of his body, her pulse singing in her veins.

Panting lightly, she pulled back, a deep pink on her cheeks. Lucy tried to scramble back off of her best friend's supine form. Natsu snagged her wrists and shook his head, a feral light in his eyes. "As I was saying, I feel something dark and restless when I look at you. I feel," his words began to feel gummy and he forced the rest of his thoughts out, "like you complete me." His face began to match Lucy's in hue as he waited for her to respond.

"Natsu..." Lucy whispered, her throat too tight to speak any louder, "I feel the same way."

His eyes gained even more of a glitter and he shifted slightly. Lucy could feel her heart begin to race faster, the need to speak warred with the desire to show. Decision made, Lucy dragged a thumb over the seam of his lips and licked hers as his eyes glazed over. The blonde lowered her face again and captured the pink haired boy's lips with her own.

She dominated the kiss until he rolled his lithe muscled form over hers and pinned her to the sweet smelling grass. Natsu slanted his mouth over Lucy's, dragging his tongue over hers. A brief hiss of satisfaction escaped him. She mewled softly, delighted with his interest and yet desperate for more skin to skin contact.

Unheeding of their public location, Natsu slid one rough palm over Lucy's thigh and encouraged her to twist her legs to lock around his hips as he ground against the cradle of her hips. Lucy gasped and moaned anew, the sublime sensations were too volatile for silence.

Mutual mindless minutes passed as Natsu and Lucy kissed and caressed. Happy sniggered and swooped in the air over the grappling couple. If he hadn't interrupted, who knows what other boundaries would have been crossed.

The exceed's chortles finally broke the couple apart. "I knew it! I knew it! You liiiiiiiiiiiiike her and she liiiiiiiiiiiiikes you!"

As if rehearsed, Lucy and Natsu whipped their heads around to address the excited exceed, "Tell me something I don't know!"

Nonplussed, Happy crossed his arms, "There's a cop coming this way."

So that was how Lucy and Natsu were narrowly saved from a charge of public indecency, became indebted to Happy and began dating.


	13. Heart's Desire

_**A/N: This story is a gift for the wonderful CaptainShadoo or shadoouge as she's known on tumblr. This is inspired by shadoo's AU 'Mexican Natsu' ~This takes place in an AU of no real magic; Natsu, Lucy, Levy and Gajeel are in college. Just a little bit of fluffy fun, a bit of swearing, and shockingly, nothing explicit. Who'da thunk it? **_

* * *

"Sit down!" Lucy hissed and tried to pull Natsu back into his seat.

He ignored her and began waving his other hand and shouted at the magician on stage, "Oi! Pick me!" Natsu nodded and grinned as the man in the theatrical cape and top hat pointed at the pink haired youth.

"You sir, you think you have what it takes to help entertain this crowd with my amazing hypnotism?" The very self assured man flipped his cape over one shoulder and played to the audience, "I won't have to try very hard to trick him, now will I? He's already fallen prey to someone's joke with hair colour!"

The crowd roared with laughter and Lucy sank lower in her seat. Levy patted her on the shoulder, "is he drunk?"

Without taking her eyes off the stage, the blonde answered, "no. But I wish I was."

Natsu hopped with a flourish onto the stage. "There's no way you can make me do anything I don't wanna."

"Well that's true," the showman took off his hat and tossed it to one of his scantily clad assistants. "Hypnotism only allows a professional such as myself to guide the subject onto paths they are capable of."

The second assistant pushed a chair under a waiting spotlight and gestured at Natsu to sit down. Once he was settled, the hypnotist withdrew a large pocket watch from the depths of his coat and made a show of buffing and shining it on his coat sleeve.

"What's your name young sir?"

"Natsu."

Flipping open the cover of the watch, the older male asked, "Are you attending the show alone or with friends? Or perhaps someone special?" Scanning the crowd, the showman spotted Natsu's vacated chair. "I see two lovely ladies and one vicious looking fellow. Is that your group?"

Natsu snorted, "yah. You sure got Gajeel figured out. They're my friends, and Lucy is my best friend." He waved and shouted, "Hey, Luce!"

The blonde smiled weakly, returned a lacklustre wave and tried to slump further down in her seat. Levy giggled and her date frowned and grumbled, "Idiot Salamander."

The crowd tittered and became quiet as the two helpers made shushing gestures.

The Magnificent Murphy closed his timepiece and stood off to the side in front of Natsu. "I want you to listen to the sound of my voice. My voice will guide and relax you, you will become compliant and obey my words. I will countdown to one, and when I say one, you will close your eyes. You will be in a relaxed, conscious state where you will obey my words. Follow the watch with only your eyes as it swings and I count." Murphy the magician kept up his polished patter and counted down from twenty. He spoke smoothly and tapped the floor twice after speaking each number. "Three, you are about to fall asleep. Two, one."

Natsu's eyes slammed shut. Murphy turned and smiled at the audience. "We're going to have fun with this one." The magician pocketed his watch and moved over to the side and addressed Natsu. "Listen to my voice and as I speak, what I tell you becomes the truth. Imagine that your body is floating in the clouds. You're very light." Murphy slipped an elastic around the boy's left wrist. "I've attached a balloon to you and it is lifting your arm."

The crowd buzzed as Natsu's left arm began to lift. Soon it was raised all the way up and gently swaying.

"Excellent. I have a pin and I'm going to pop the balloon, on the count of five." The assistant walked over to Murphy, brandishing a balloon and needle. He took hold of the needle, counting, "one, two, three, four," he struck with the pin on 'five' and Natsu's arm plummeted down.

"I've shown my mastery over our subject. What else should we do to our victim, I mean helpful friend?" Murphy worked the crowd and ran through his usual bag of tricks, making Natsu believe he weighed one thousand pounds and had him sag onto the stage floor, made him wrestle with a mug he believed to be welded to a table, instructed Natsu he could only speak Spanish and that it was cold and he was freezing.

The Magnificent Murphy withdrew his watch again and consulted the time. "Ah ladies and gentlemen, time has revealed there is only time for one last entertainment with our young friend." He smiled and twirled a non-existent moustache. "My voice guides you, as I speak you will listen. On the count of ten you will reveal your heart's desire." Murphy smiled broadly and began counting. His voice lulled even the audience, and they quieted further.

"...ten." Murphy smirked, turning to face the audience.

"Amo a Lucy. Donde alguna vez ella es, quiero ser." Natsu spoke these words warmly and his cheeks blazed pink to match his hair.

"Ah ha ha, seems like my powers of persuasion are indeed magnificent." Murphy chortled, "Listen to my voice as I count from twenty to one and you will remember everything we've done and be at peace. You will gradually wake up as I count and be refreshed." The magician began his count, slowly and confidently, tapping his foot after calling out each number. With a wave of his cape, he announced 'one' and Natsu's eyes flew open.

Lucy gave both Gajeel and Levy a death glare. "What did Natsu say?!"

Gajeel snickered and repeated Natsu's words verbatim. Levy covered her mouth and tried to cover up her giggle with a cough.

"I knew I should have taken Spanish class with you guys, but Daddy insisted on French. Merde!" The blonde hissed at Levy, "You're going to translate that for me, aren't you? It sounded like he called me a weirdo!" Lucy wailed the last word and the rest of the audience swivelled their heads to stare at their table.

"Thank you one and all for attending the Magnificent Murphy's Magic and Hypnotism show." Murphy accepted his top hat back from one of his helpers and called for a round of applause. Natsu bowed and exited the stage to a mix of catcalls and clapping. The curtains fell and the MC came out to announce the next person on the program who happened to be a comedian.

Natsu dropped into his chair and drained his bottle of water. "¿Puedo tener el suyo Lucy?"

Gajeel started laughing right away as Levy and Lucy exchanged looks of horror.

"Bicho raro," Natsu uttered this calmly and reached over to help himself to Lucy's drink. She got all red and was about to unleash her temper on Natsu until she recognized what Levy was telling her, that 'bicho raro' was Spanish for 'weirdo'.

"..." Lucy bit her lip and sat back down in her seat, having risen to administer a Lucy-kick, thinking Natsu had called her something questionable. "What the hell Natsu!"

"¿Qué?" Natsu was perplexed, all he'd done was ask Lucy if he could have her water and called her a weirdo, like he did every day. "¿Qué se equivoca con usted?"

Unthinkingly, Lucy raised her voice and over enunciated, "Can you understand me?"

"¡Sí! No soy sordo." Natsu grimaced and rubbed his ear Lucy had blasted.

"Sorry!" Lucy apologised. She didn't know what he'd said, but she could guess it had something to do with his hearing after he rubbed his ear.

Gajeel was still laughing but Levy was beginning to look worried. "Lucy, let's go to the washroom for a second, okay?"

The blonde allowed herself to be tugged to the back of the club and into the relative quiet of the ladies' room. Levy giggled out of nervousness. "I think the hypnotism worked too well on Natsu. He was ordered to only speak Spanish before the trick about being freezing!"

"Y-you're right. What're we gonna do?"

"Lucy, you're still freaking out over what Natsu said on stage, aren't you? Don't worry, it wasn't anything bad. I'm like eighty percent sure." Levy patted the taller girl on the shoulder. "If you'd just calm it down a notch, we'll just ask to be allowed backstage and find the Magnificent Murphy."

"Y-yeah." Lucy slowly nodded. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Maybe because you're somehow connected to Natsu's heart's desire." Levy giggled and ran back to the table.

Flustered anew, Lucy ran cold water over her wrists and stared for long minutes at her reflection. Shaking her head, she exited the washroom making her way to the table. Gajeel was sitting next to Levy with his arm slung around her shoulders, leaning a bit on her as she typed into her smartphone. Natsu was spouting more words Lucy couldn't understand. Gajeel nodded and responded with 'yeah', 'um-huh' and 'okay' whenever Natsu paused his rapid fire Spanish.

The pink haired youth looked up and grinned to see his best friend return, standing up suddenly to pull out Lucy's chair and assist her onto it.

"Thanks Natsu." Lucy lowered her eyes and let the merest smile grace her lips before turning to Levy and grabbing a wrist. "Whatteryoudoing?"

"Funny story Lucy! The Magnificent Murphy had another engagement across town and he was packed up and gone pretty much at the time Natsu got off the stage." Levy tugged nervously at her hair band. "I'm just searching the internet for help."

"You're lying," Lucy blinked rapidly, "he can't be gone because we need him to fix Natsu!"

"I'm sorry, but he really did leave." Levy gave her friend a pained smile. "I think if we go somewhere quieter we can solve this problem."

Gajeel snorted, "more like a catastrophe. Gi he -!" His laughter was caught short courtesy of Levy's elbow to his gut.

His diminutive girl friend glared and kicked his ankle for good measure. "Lucy doesn't need any more stress. Let's get out of here and figure out where to go when we get to the car." Levy stood up and led her friends through the club into the well lit parking lot. She tossed her keys to Gajeel and ordered him to find the nearest coffee shop.

"Good idea Levy." Lucy was finally calming down. "We can figure this out together and get Natsu back to speaking English."

"¿Qué?" Natsu rolled his eyes at Lucy and snorted, "No sé de qué usted habla."

Gajeel pulled into a parking spot and killed the engine. All four occupants piled out and trooped into the mostly deserted shop. They claimed a table and Gajeel volunteered to purchase beverages. When he came back with the drinks, Levy was still searching information on her phone and Lucy was making awkward one-sided (in that she had no idea what Natsu was answering) conversation with her best friend.

Lucy almost spilled her coffee on her lap when the blue haired girl whisper-shouted, "I've got it!"

Levy grinned, "We'll just have to give him some more hypnotism and 'suggest' he goes back to using English."

"You do know none of us are hypnotists, right?" Lucy said drily. "Maybe we can catch the Magnificent Murphy after his other show or tomorrow morning or afternoon."

Levy and Gajeel exchanged a look fraught with sexual tension.

"We have plans," Gajeel blurted.

"I have needs," Levy smirked and pinched her boyfriend's cheek. "His roommate is gone for the weekend and ..." she giggled, "that's all _my_ roommate needs to know."

"Ugh, TMI!" Lucy looked down and away, embarrassed a bit by Levy's candour. Natsu nodded and gave the pierced boy a thumbs up.

Fifteen minutes later Gajeel and Levy drove away laughing, leaving Lucy alone with a quiet Natsu.

"Come on then," Lucy jingled her keys for the apartment she shared off-campus with Levy. "She said it was a simple matter of researching a couple of key words and I'd be able to fix you up as long as I was confident."

From the kitchen, Lucy yelled to Natsu, "you want a drink?" She jumped when his affirmative answer came from right behind her. "God! You spooked me! I said I'd just be a minute."

"Sí zuwa esperar este." Natsu grinned, "bicho raro."

Lucy was upset at the perceived thought of what Natsu had said and then she realized by the teasing look on his face he hadn't called her a bitch. "Sorry, I almost ready to slap you for that."

He just shook his head and opened the fridge and pulled out two bottles of beer, handing one to Lucy after opening it. Natsu uncapped his and took a long draft. "¿Qué quiere usted hacer ahora?"

Lucy took a couple of fortifying drinks from her beer and decided she'd just have to ignore everything she couldn't understand. She set her bottle down on the kitchen table and pointed to a chair. She flushed, "oh! Just sit down and wait."

_**I can't believe I'm getting so flustered! Forgetting he understands English! He's only responding in Spanish, he understands both.**_ Lucy trotted to her bedroom, kicked off her shoes and retrieved her laptop.

Back in the kitchen she found Natsu had built himself a sandwich. He held out half to her and said, " ¿usted quiere unos?"

Glad she could understand from the context, Lucy shook her head and smiled. "That's okay, no thanks. Go ahead and eat, I, uh, gotta look something up real quick." Lucy read everything she could readily find. Natsu finished his food and wandered out to the living room and flipped on the battered television.

Gradually, Lucy became genuinely immersed and interested in hypnotism. One particularly loud canned laugh from the TV made the girl realize she'd been researching for almost an hour. Sighing she decided it was now or never. Lucy got up from the table after draining her beer.

Natsu had made himself at home; his shoes were tossed near the front door, his jacket was draped on the only other chair and he himself was slouched over most of the couch. He looked up with a grin and straightened up a bit, patting the seat beside himself. "Siéntese aquí."

"Okay." Lucy settled herself down on the couch next to her best friend. "Um, Natsu..." Lucy trailed off after Natsu draped his arm around her shoulder and grinned at her. Sure, he'd smiled at her lots of times before, but now she understood even less of what he was doing. His dark eyes shone and his pronounced canines were showing as he gave her a one-armed hug.

Taking another breath, Lucy tried again. "Natsu -"

"Tranquilo." He smiled even wider and raised the volume of the TV. "Esto es el tiempo para abrazarse." Lucy couldn't even guess at the meaning of anything in that sentence, other than maybe he'd said 'time'. She sighed and relaxed against the pink haired boy. Several commercial breaks later, Lucy prodded Natsu's ribs with her elbow.

"¿Ah, usted quiere hacer más que el abrazo afectuoso?" Natsu pulled Lucy closer and smiled sweetly, "béseme." He clicked off the TV and dropped the remote on the coffee table. "Lucy, no puedo sostener en mis sentimientos más tiempo. Le amo."

Lucy blinked in confusion, "you know I don't understand Spanish."

"Déjeme mostrarle entonces." Before Natsu could lose his nerve, he captured Lucy's lips with his and poured his feelings into the kiss. Vastly cheered to discover Lucy wasn't going to slap him as her first move, Natsu angled his mouth and deepened the kiss.

As if in a dream, Lucy registered her arms were sliding around Natsu's neck and she was actively participating in the kiss. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on forcing her memory to capture every second of the experience.

Long minutes later, a panting Natsu pulled away from Lucy and stared into her eyes. "Damn!"

"I second that 'damn' and raise you an 'oh my god', I cannot beli-" Lucy's words were cut off as Natsu lowered his lips to hers once more and teased hers apart with slow strokes of his tongue. Lucy moved one of her hands over the hard plains of Natsu's chest and left it over his rapidly beating heart.

"H-hey!" Lucy now pushed against Natsu's chest. "Did you just say 'damn', like a minute ago?"

"It was more like three minutes ago, weirdo." He grinned and craned his neck forward to nip at her ear. "Don't we have better things to do right now than yak?" He placed moist kisses down her neck. "We have a lot of time to make up for, you know."

"Yes, but you're back to speaking English!" Lucy tried to concentrate on her thoughts as Natsu hauled her onto his lap. "You're moving too fast!"

"We've known each other since grade school Lucy! This has been the opposite of fast!" Natsu tucked a strand of hair behind Lucy's ear and kissed her cheek. "Can I have another kiss before you kill me?"

"I'm so happy the spell is broken! Why would I kill you?" Lucy registered how serious her best friend was looking. "What did you do?"

"It wasn't just me! Gajeel helped and then Levy was roped into it and I'm not making things any better, am I?" Natsu sighed, "do you want the long reason or the short answer?"

About to dismount from his lap, Lucy paused and considered Natsu's words. Slumping back and allowing her knees to press into the couch, Lucy settled her hands on each of his shoulders. "Make the short answer good and in the morning you can give me the long reason."

Taking a deep breath Natsu closed his eyes to order his thoughts. He blinked them open and spoke the words Murphy the Magnificent had coaxed from his lips on stage. "Amo a Lucy. Donde alguna vez ella es, quiero ser."

Lucy felt her eyebrows rise absurdly high, but before she could berate Natsu for telling her in a language she didn't understand, he had the grace to look sheepish and speak again. " I love Lucy. Where ever she is, I want to be." Natsu screwed his eyes tightly shut and waited for Lucy to laugh, yell or strike him.

The apartment was quiet. Even the night traffic sounds were muted as he waited for his life to implode. Gathering his courage, Natsu opened his eyes just a sliver. He saw his best friend rubbing away traces of tears.

"God, Lucy. I'm so sorry! I didn't tell you that to upset you!" He pulled her into a hug and patted her back. "I'm sorry!"

Lucy hugged Natsu with all her strength. "Idiot! Don't be sorry, that was the most beautiful confession any girl has ever received."

"Really? I mean, yeah." Natsu grinned in adoration at Lucy. "From grade school I've been holding that inside."

Lucy blushed and slid off Natsu's lap. "You're going to give me the long answer in the morning, but for now I'm gonna brush my teeth. You wanna keep talking in my room?"

"Hells yeah."

* * *

_**Perhaps a bit abrupt of an ending, but hours of fighting with it didn't make it any better.**_

I used the wonderful internet to translate English into Spanish, let me apologize for any mistakes. Here is a list in order of the Spanish I used with the English equivalent:

Amo a Lucy. Donde alguna vez ella es, quiero ser.

I love Lucy. Where ever she is, I want to be.

¿Puedo tener el suyo Lucy?

Can I have yours Lucy?

¿Qué?

What

Bicho raro

weirdo

¿Qué se equivoca con usted?

What's wrong with you?

¡Sí! No soy sordo.

Yes! I'm not deaf.

No sé de qué usted habla.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Sí zuwa esperar este.

I don't wanna wait

¿Qué quiere usted hacer ahora?

What do you want to do now?

¿Usted quiere unos?

You want some?

siéntese aquí

sit here

quiet

tranquilo

It's time to cuddle.

Esto es el tiempo para abrazarse.

Why didn't you say so earlier?

¿Por qué no dijo usted tan antes?

Nothing.

Nada.

What are you doing?

¿Qué hace usted?

Oh, you want to do more than cuddle?

¿Ah, usted quiere hacer más que el abrazo afectuoso?

Kiss me

Béseme

Lucy, I can't hold in my feelings any longer. I love you.

Lucy, no puedo sostener en mis sentimientos más tiempo. Le amo.

Let me show you then.

Déjeme mostrarle entonces.


	14. Tomorrow is Now

Kenopsia; the eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that's usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet.

a challenge from ftfanfics, 'speechless'

paring: Lucy &amp; Natsu

rating: k

word count: 868

* * *

Lucy woke to the immediate sensation of pins and needles in her left arm and shoulder. Wincing, she levered the heavy book that had cut off her blood flow and rubbed the afflicted areas. It was quiet in the archive room of the guild. This was normal at any time of day. The muffled thumps, bumps and brawling from above were not there. It gave Lucy an uneasy feeling.

The ambient lighting flared brighter as she stood up. The scraping sound of her chair made the blonde wince and look around. She'd wanted to apologize for being noisy. Good manners ingrained as a child were long lingering. Lucy shrugged and smiled.

Her steps were light as she trod over to the door and pushed it open. The slight creak as it swung open made Lucy gulp. Expecting more noise, Lucy stopped moving to listen. Silence; no voices, no sounds of bodies moving, not even the gurgle of ancient plumbing.

Glowing lacrima flared brighter as the blonde took cautious steps down the passage. Lucy wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. It was bizarre to feel alone in the guild building.

The skin prickled on the back of her neck and she hurried up the well-worn stairs. At the top of the stairs she looked down to the bottom. Her heart beat faster than the slight exertion warranted. The echo of each tread was swallowed by the returning gloom as the lacrima dimmed out of reach of her motion.

Lucy rubbed fingers gone cold on her skirt. Lips firmed into a straight line, she gripped the door knob, turning it and pulling. The gears inside made a weird grinding click. Her heart dropped to fight for space with her stomach. Panic made her tug harder on the door. It wouldn't budge.

Each frantic attempt at hauling the door open failed. Lucy took a deep breath and tried to focus. She closed her eyes and let her grip relax on the knob. It rotated backwards and Lucy almost cried with relief. She'd been turning it the wrong way.

The heavy oaken door swung open with nary a creak. Stumbling through on trembling legs, Lucy slumped into the closest chair. She sat still as her pulse slowed, then lifted her eyes to reassure herself she'd made it out of the basement.

Moonlight cast faint light through the small windows spaced at regular intervals. Dust motes floated in the air as Lucy surveyed the abandoned hall. Many tables and chairs sat waiting. The bar was bereft of customers. No cluster of anxious mages surrounded the jobs board. No friendly fights between guild mates.

Deja-vue immersed Lucy in a life half-remembered. Foreboding skittered up her spine and whispered dire thoughts. Images of the guild's destruction peppered her imagination. Rubble and dragon flame; screams, chaos and death.

Lucy knuckled away traces of tears. She stood up to appraise the empty guild with determined eyes. The eerie feeling of seeing a future that should never happen, passed.

The vacant guild was not forsaken; only waiting for the new beginning every day served.

It didn't matter if it wasn't the original building. No one cared if it was one oft repaired, a cobbled together shack - even a tent would serve. Fairy Tail was it's people. An amazing collection of friends and nakama.

Levy, Gajeel, Mira, Lisanna, Juvia, Gray, Erza, Elfman, Evergreen. More faces and names popped into Lucy's mind. Lucy watched a parade of features. She thought about when she'd met them for the first time and how much they'd all come to mean to her. Happy and Natsu. The full feeling in her heart needed action.

Lucy darted through the maze of tables toward the main entrance. Uncaring of any noise made, she ran faster. Lucy's lips curled up into a blazing smile. Much like the grin possessed by the person who occupied many of her waking thoughts.

A dark patch on the floor was not shadow - it groaned after Lucy tripped and fell. She sucked in a gout of air, curling around her injured knee. Natsu took gentle hold of her leg and examined it further. He assisted his partner to her feet, wincing just as much as she did when her knee buckled.

Questions demanded answers inside Lucy's skull. What had Natsu been doing at the guild so late at night? Why would he sleep on the floor, half under a table? Their harsh breathing was the only sound until Lucy hissed her pain.

Natsu scooped her up and cradled her in his arms. Tucking his chin down he grunted a bit as Lucy wriggled, threatening his secure hold. If she asked, he'd say he'd fallen asleep playing hide-and-seek. But sleep had claimed him as he'd waited for her to finish researching so he could walk her home. Natsu grinned as he shifted his partner and began to stride for the exit. Her displeased grumbling was music to his ears.

Outside, Lucy glanced up at the giant town clock as Natsu jogged to her apartment. A quarter to four in the morning. Tomorrow was already here and the new day demanded she go after her heart's desire. Lucy smiled and clutched Natsu tighter.


	15. Golden Dancer

_**A/N: this is pretty much a Modern no magic AU...inspiration taken from a tumblr ask between unashamed-shipper and sullivantswissarcana ~ **_

* * *

Natsu dug his hand into the flower urn near the front door. It wasn't breaking and entering Natsu reasoned. He and Lisanna, despite the break-up, had remained friends. He knew where the spare key was and wasn't going to take anything that wasn't his anyway.

There was anime music blaring inside the apartment. He grinned, some things never changed. Natsu brushed off bits of dirt and jammed the key into the keyhole. He'd slip in and out, all he needed was five minutes to liberate his favourite band tees. That was the plan.

That had _been_ the plan. In the middle of the room was ... a dancer, that nomenclature being generous. The girl was _attempting_ to groove. She was 'dancing' to the up tempo beat of what Natsu recognized as a song belonging to the RWBY soundtrack. Dipping her teddy bear low to the floor, she began to sing along to the music. The blonde twirled. Long hair flying, she lifted her plushy partner and performed a flawless lift manoeuvre.

Mesmerized by her curves in boy-shorts and black tank top, Natsu knocked his elbow on the front door. The slam of the door coincided with the girl opening her eyes to see a stranger in the living room mirror. She screamed at the top of her lungs. She charged over and began using her teddy bear as a weapon, battering the male with her toy.

The man laughed. Full body, stomach jiggling laughter. He warded off blows with his forearms, backing away slowly so as not to scare the woman further.

"Relax! I'm just here to get some of my old stuff!"

"Pervert! This is breaking and entering!"

"Naw, I have a key! See?" He thrust the grimy tool under her nose and she skidded to a stop. "A key - just one, unlike you, singing this song up and down the scale." Natsu sniggered, clutching his stomach. "Weirdo."

The blonde blushed, now hugging her toy to her chest. Her brown eyes blazed with fury. "Weirdo? Who doesn't knock before coming into someone's house?" She shouted at the guy she'd cornered with Mr. Cuddles. A guy wearing a white scarf in the heat of summer, with pink hair and an infectious grin. Oh shit. "Are you Natsu?"

That was their first exchange, but not their last.

The next day, Lucy just about died of mortification when Natsu strode into her class and sat down next to her. "Yo! Heard any new fun tunes to dance to lately?" Natsu grinned so affably, Lucy was hard pressed to hold onto her embarrassment.

Almost six months to the day Natsu had met his golden dancer, they were alone in the apartment. Several drinks under their belts, and they were reminiscing about how they'd met. Another drink convinced them of what a good idea it would be to stage a re-enactment. Music blaring, Natsu gently mocked Lucy's lack of prowess dancing. She giggled and stuck out her tongue. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him off the couch and begged him to dip her.

Music, laughter and the light of the stars - everything both Natsu and Lucy would forevermore associate with the night they began to date.


End file.
